In the past few days, there has been much upheaval in Ōtsu, where many warriors and merchants dwell. Since I know I will have to operate there in Clan Nettobuku's upcoming campaigns, I stopped by the city to see what was happening.

The city's previous ruler has stepped down, passing rulership on to his son. The new lord, Mitsuhiro-dono, is still consolidating his power; while most things are unchanged, there were enough changes to put me in great peril at least once or twice. I had to expend all of my shuriken to get out alive, and will need to rest before going back again.

However, once the unrest and chaos are quelled, I think the new ruler of Ōtsu will be very good for the city, and I look forward to visiting... perhaps late in summer.

In the meantime, I have recently been able to help two of my friends: my fellow-ninja Shō has need of a warrior, and it seems Araiguma is still ready and handy with his bo staff. Shō is introducing 'guma to his contact. I have my fingers crossed that this will be a beneficial partnership for all involved. It's good to be able to help friends.

And my Aka Hōseki Jōgesen studies are going well; I was able to match some of Bunmei's kata earlier this morning. He and I are building up some useful techniques, that are sure to come in handy when we start our military campaign and face enemy opposition.

 
It is a foggy, misty day in Iga, and I am hard at work learning the Aka Hōseki Jōgesen style of sansetsukon fighting. Luckily, I was able to impress General Kobushi yesterday when we needed some Pagoda Bearer fighting done — Kobushi thought we would have to slay a large number of enemies, which we weren't really prepared for. But using some ninja techniques, I was able to whittle them down quickly and achieve a satisfactory resolution.

Next week, Clan Nettobuku will move to its new castle, not far from Henshukoku. The journey to the new castle will be an easy stroll across northern Yamato Province to Izumi. It will be interesting. Sadly, my fellow warriors Bunmei, Tomo, and Daigo will be coming from much further away. I hope they are not too fatigued by their journeys.

I am working hard to be accepted and admired by my new clan. I think it is going well. It is a small clan, so there are not too many people to get to know. They all seem good at their duties, and friendly as well. My fellow warriors are quite formidable, and I am confident that we will prove adequate to face down whatever enemies the clan decides to face.

But in order to do so, it will be very important to become more skilled with the sansetsukon. So, I return to my studies. Gambarimasu!


Edited to Add: In my studies, I have been guided by the very useful scroll called Sure-Footed Combat With Jōgesen (3rd edition), by the Pragmatic Warriors. I have just reached the point in my studies where I have started leap-frogging ahead of the moves and kata in the scroll.

I just read: "Of course, this technique would need to be altered if fighting in a forest, lest the end of the staff get tangled in underbrush on the downward sweeping motions. Let's look at how the Jōgesen school adapts the kata for such situations..."

And rather than continuing on, I put the scroll aside, and worked out the kata on my own. Having worked out my own version, I then checked back with the scroll... And it matches! (Well, mostly. Except for a couple of minor wrist-positioning differences.) I am starting to truly understand this school and its techniques.